Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 29: Homeowners’ Meeting

Teest couldn’t quite hold back his smile.

He was standing at the entrance of the cave roasting a second deer; the first one had already turned to bones. The monster couple ate as if a storm had passed, and more than half of Teest’s stored seasonings were consumed in an instant.

Nol was assisting on the side. He ordered the deer bones to align themselves, and then he began to cut the meat. He wasn’t too surprised by the couple’s eating manners—a criminal policeman and a doctor were professions that eat during overtime as if they’re in a battle; one shouldn’t expect them to eat slowly and savor each bite.

Moreover, Dr. Zhu was now a wolfkin, so she naturally had a huge appetite. Compared to her barbaric counterpart, Dr. Zhu was eating quite gracefully.

While the two were eating, Nol briefly explained the current situation. From this world resembling a game, to the dragon’s nest, Ye Meng, and the elderly couple, to Witch Lynn in Whitebird City searching for her sister… The couple listened while eating, occasionally exchanging glances, but didn’t interrupt.

“I think I understand now.”

Having finished three deer legs, Dr. Zhu wiped her mouth and then spoke in a delicate manner. “Looking at it now, when Lao Luo and I woke up, we were inside this… um, instance.”

Officer Luo, with a vigor that didn’t match his appearance, tore at the deer meat, causing his cheeks to bulge. “As for how we got here, we don’t have any clues. We—”

“Wait a moment.” Nol took out a puppet head from his bag and placed it in the center of the cave.

“Let’s discuss the details with Lynn,” he said. “I tend to see things from a gaming perspective, and she can provide a different viewpoint.”

“A homeowners’ meeting, that’s great!” Officer Luo said cheerfully. “Miss Lynn has a good name, directly usable*. If we go out, should we also get Western names? …Romeo and Juliet?”

*Clarity: Her name is [Linen] (琳恩) which is Lynn with a Western context.

“They both died in the end,” Dr. Zhu said coldly. “I’ll go with Julie. Easy to remember.”

“Then I’ll be Rosen, even easier to remember*,” Officer Luo replied.

*Clarity: Their western names are quite cheeky. Taking his surname [Luo] (罗) to become Rosen (罗森) while her surname [Zhu] (朱) becomes Julie (朱利). It is also why Luo Ruilin thought of Romeo and Juliet first (same starting Chinese characters of their surnames).

What are they even competing about?

Teest reverted to his novice village mode, speaking less and observing with interest. Nol set up the puppet head and sat next to Teest. He placed two forks on his own plate and patted Teest’s shoulder reassuringly.

[I couldn’t explain earlier due to the chaos. If you don’t mind, I’ll introduce you to them formally.] He conveyed mentally. [But let’s not mention the “Mad Monk” thing first. Officer Luo’s occupation is quite special.]

Teest smiled, and instead of responding with his skill, he attached himself to Nol’s ear.

“Of course I don’t mind, honey.” Covering his lips with his palm, he whispered, “Whether it’s an introduction or anything else.”

A few steps away, Dr. Zhu—Julie’s wolf ears twitched, and her expression became puzzled for a moment.

‘…You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?’ Nol thought, torn between amusement and exasperation.

But he indeed felt relieved.

While explaining the situation to the neighbors, Nol kept glancing at Teest’s expression.

However, while his interactions with his neighbors were smooth and affectionate, being a native resident, Teest was bound to feel a sense of alienation. Whether treating Teest as a “friend” or a “dangerous person”, Nol did not want this to create a rift between them.

…..

Upon hearing that two more neighbors were found, Witch Lynn, who was on her journey, quickly found a forest to hide in, preparing for a magical video conference. Nol and Elf Rosen cast various isolation spells at the cave entrance, tentatively setting up the conference room.

The first homeowners’ meeting of the Joy Garden Tahe Community officially began, with the outsider guest Teest included.

“Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?”

Above the small puppet skull, the ghostly image of Witch Lynn appeared, hovering mid-air.

“We can hear you. We can hear you,” Rosen hurriedly responded. “I’m Luo Ruilin, and that’s my wife over there.”

Lynn looked at Julie, remaining silent for a good half-minute. When she spoke again, her tone was very natural. “Ah, Officer Luo. Do you two remember anything from before you arrived here?”

“It was the 31^st, right? I’ll start.”

Elf Rosen sat up straight, stretching his neck to seem taller. “That day, Xiao Zhu and I were resting. We watched a movie at home, had some drinks, and then fell asleep—we slept for like ten hours. I found it strange that there were no work calls. When I opened my eyes, I saw a wolfkin, and it scared me nearly off the ground.”

Julie grinned. “He yelled at me, ‘Don’t move, put your hands up!’ …When he’s nervous, he always has his left shoulder up. I recognized him right away.”

Rosen cocked his head.

“Someone used to love saying they were 1.94 meters tall,” Dr. Zhu continued leisurely, pressing a paw on top of Officer Luo’s head. “I haven’t heard that for over a month. I kind of miss it.”

Nol couldn’t help but smile.

It seemed he didn’t have to worry too much about these two… As expected from professionals used to life and death situations, their emotional state was surprisingly stable given the bizarre events they faced.

“Speaking of the transmigration…”

After the jest, Julie’s voice grew solemn again. “Lao Luo is a heavy sleeper, and I’m a light sleeper. I woke up around midnight that night, and everything was normal then.”

“Later, as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a huge noise, like an explosion. But I was in a half-sleep state, maybe dreaming… When I woke up again, I was here.”

‘It seems like something did happen that night,’ Nol thought. It was a shame that the university student was killed by the dragon. He would have been most likely to stay up late.

“Our transformations into monsters, in terms of species, gender, and age, seem to have no pattern…” Lynn murmured somewhat disheartened, probably thinking of her sister, whose fate remained uncertain.

“No,” Rosen suddenly interjected.

Though Officer Luo now appeared petite and adorable, when he put on a stern face, he still exuded an authoritative demeanor.

“I know that Ye Meng. She’s academically excellent. The student surnamed Cui also attends the nation’s top music university. They both became dragon hatchlings; the elderly couple were kind and unassuming, with no remarkable characteristics, and they turned into slimes.”

“You’re a diligent mechanical engineer, so a puppet witch suits your characteristics; my wife is a general surgeon, skilled in surgeries… Meaning, she’s adept at dissecting flesh and organs. This matches with the wolfkin monster.”

“In my opinion, the monsters we turned into correlate with our personal traits.”

Dr. Zhu showed her scalpel-like claws in agreement. “Yes, Lao Luo is the most cunning in their team, so it’s only fitting he became a sly elf.”

“What about gender?” Lynn frowned, clearly contemplating.

Julie said calmly, “When the species isn’t even certain, for the ‘transformation pattern’, gender might be as insignificant as fur color.”

Lynn: “What you said makes sense, but it doesn’t explain Nol’s situation.”

Indeed.

Nol had been silent. As the former frail “Will-o’-wisp”, he seemed to be the only exception to this theory.

“Maybe I’ve been working overtime so much that I’ve become inconspicuous,” he said with self-deprecation as everyone turned to him.

Rosen: “Don’t be like that, brother. Maybe it means you’re exceptionally radiant, even having a glowing effect.”

“The pattern won’t disappear. You can try to find more people to confirm. Given the current circumstances, you two should talk about this ‘instance.” Teest cheerfully brought the conversation back. “What do you mean by ‘role-playing’?”

The couple fell silent. After a while, Rosen sighed. “We’ve been wandering around for over a month and found over a hundred traces of human habitation. Most are in caves; some have survived longer than others… some of them left records.”

He took out two things—an old book and a parchment scroll. The languages on the two documents were completely different.

Everyone gathered to see, and even Lynn’s phantom leaned in.

“I’ve highlighted data related to the ‘hunter’.” Rosen’s voice grew serious. “To figure out the situation, we’ve been investigating… You all can read this, right?”

The book was a popular novel published a century ago; the pages were tattered and filled with dark red handwriting in the blanks. Many words were damaged by time and water stains, making them hard to decipher.

Luckily, Rosen had marked the important parts, and everyone began to read those key records.

[…Day 82: The snow hasn’t stopped. We’re running low on food, and I have to hunt, but I can’t feel my feet. Henry said he saw a figure in the distance and has gone out alone. May the Goddess protect him.]

[…Day 97: Henry says he found a hunter’s cabin, but he can’t approach it, as if it’s cursed. We decide to wait for the hunter to leave and then seek his help. May the Goddess protect us.]

[…Day 105: The hunter doesn’t communicate with us and chased us away with a crossbow. My foot is severely infected. I need medicine, damn it.]

[…Day 117: Our plan worked. The hunter fell into our trap. The house is now ours. He had it coming, haha. I need to treat my foot.]

[…Day 118: The hunter is dead. We can’t find the house, his body disappeared. There’s nothing left.]

[…Day 119: Henry screamed at me, as if he didn’t recognize me. He chased me with a crossbow. My shoulder is injured; my foot hurts. I’m in pain everywhere. Why?]

[…Day 120: Why? Why? Why? I don’t understand.]

The diary stopped there.

Nol then unrolled a parchment covered with half-beastmen script. The dates were from over 70 years ago.

[June 16, 651: Found a man dressed as a hunter. He had been bitten by a bear and was unconscious. We couldn’t save him, but Holden was pleased, thinking it meant others were nearby.]

[June 17, 651: Holden hasn’t returned. Nina keeps asking where daddy is, and I can’t answer her. Holden has never been this late.]

[October 28, 651: Caught four ducks. We have food for a couple of days. Nina’s 12th birthday is coming up, and I want to prepare. Still no sign of Holden.]

[November 9, 651: Found Holden dressed as a hunter. He didn’t recognize me and even pointed his crossbow at our daughter. Oh God, what did we do to deserve this?]

[December 31, 652: It should have been a reunion. But Nina and I can only watch from afar. Nina only sees hatred in her father’s eyes and believes Holden betrayed us. I can’t explain it. How did we end up like this? A deer injured my rib. I hope I’ll be okay.]

[April 1, 653: My worst fear happened. Holden was seriously injured during a hunt. Nina discovered it but didn’t tell me. She left him there, saying she would take me to the cabin to recover.]

[April 2, 653: Nina went out and never returned.]

[April 3, 653: Nina doesn’t recognize me anymore.]

[April 4, 653: She shot me with a crossbow. I couldn’t dodge in time. My time is running out. Nina, my baby, she’s only 13. Who will celebrate her birthdays now?]

Inside the cave, all was silent except for the howling wind outside. Nol’s grip on the parchment tightened to the point of deforming it.

“I get it,” he murmured. “When the old hunter dies, the system chooses a new one from the trapped people. The new hunter loses all memories before becoming one, living and dying alone here.”

Teest, munching on a piece of deer meat, casually said, “Hmm, that’s quite tragic.”

“That’s our assumption too,” Rosen solemnly added. “The worst part is, no one can escape, whether there’s a hunter or not.”

‘No,’ Noel thought. ‘I should be able to leave.’

He had teamed up with Teest and even received a mission. Teaming up was one of the most solid bonds in the game. The system likely wouldn’t forcibly separate them.

But Officer Luo and Dr. Zhu were in danger. He had to take them with him.

Nol twitched the corner of his mouth, attempting to show a relaxed smile. “I said Teest is my friend, and he is. But there’s something I didn’t clarify—he’s a ‘player’ and is also a local of Tahe.”

“With a player here, I suggest trying to clear the level. When the mission ends, the sealed instance will automatically provide an exit… It’s our best chance.”

Assuming this instance is “normal.”

……

The evening sky blazed, and Crimson sat on a farmhouse roof, admiring the sunset.

For the past week, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual in the Alva caravan, and Jack hadn’t contacted him. Judging by the days, the Rizzi caravan was almost at its destination.

[Blood Gnome’s Trade] was a system skill, so it couldn’t be wrong. Could it be that those two people didn’t travel with the caravan but happened to move in the same direction?

…Or Jack might be withholding information from him.

Crimson scratched his face, recalling the route of the Rizzi caravan. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and the corner of his mouth curled up in a grin.

“Using the ‘Night of the Hunt’, right?” Crimson chuckled to himself. “How could I forget about that? How cunning.”

He jumped down from the roof, approaching a farmer who lay prostrate on the ground. Deep gashes covered the farmer’s body, and his shirt was soaked in blood. The man gasped for air, his eyes bloodshot and filled with tears as he looked at Crimson.

“Demon… you… demon…” he cursed weakly.

“God says to have mercy on the weak. Honestly, I didn’t want to kill your wife and kids—that’s not my style.” Crimson squatted down next to him. “But I have to level up.”

With that, he raised his dagger, driving it straight through the man’s head. Swiftly, he sliced his palm, letting his blood mix with that of the dead man.

“In exchange for a life, I want to know the status of the player ‘Jack’ in fourteen days,” Crimson announced loudly.

The blood stirred, and the blood gnome appeared again. It gazed at Crimson in confusion, unmoving.

Crimson’s smile faded slightly. “In fourteen days, is the player ‘Jack’ alive or dead?”

The blood gnome remained still. It sadly released the corpse, pointed to where its eyes would be, and shook its head. Before Crimson could ask again, it disintegrated back into the pool of blood.

The body lay still, not sinking.

…The blood gnome can’t see? It didn’t even take the price.

Can the System’s divination skill also be wrong?

With a swift motion, Crimson drew his dagger, standing up. Anger flashed across his face. “Such an interesting opponent, and that guy kept it from me—damn it!”

He quickly pulled out a communication crystal. “Did Jack recently ask you about the ‘Night of the Hunt’?”

“Yes, Lord Crimson. Lord Jack inquired about the current number of participants in the ‘Night of the Hunt’ and requested to use the instance.”

“How many are there?”

“Currently, there are four people in the instance. Two potential targets for interrogation, plus Lord Jack. The instance is full,” the other party responded cautiously.

“…Fuck.” Crimson crushed the communication crystal in frustration.

No matter, as long as those two were still alive, they would meet again. Crimson dusted off his clothes, stepping over the blood puddles to leave the village.

Behind him, the small village was silent, with an overpowering scent of blood in the air. Crows circled overhead, their coarse cries breaking the silence.

The setting sun gradually sank into the darkness.

Inside the “Night of the Hunt” instance.

“Why don’t you just confess? In this day and age, still playing the ‘loyalty’ card?”

Jack sat on a simple wooden chair, cheerfully looking at the man in front of him. “Tell me about your side—their professions, skills, and items, and I’ll let you go.”

Lying in front of Jack was a handsome young man, nearly naked; his body curled up from the cold, and his skin turned blue.

His neck and limbs were shackled with thick iron chains fastened to large boulders. The chains had chafed his skin to the point of bleeding. Older blood stains beneath him had turned nearly black.

He didn’t respond to Jack.

Jack clicked his tongue, spitting on the man. “I’m not patient, and I don’t want to dismember you again—be glad you didn’t choose a female avatar; I’m not interested in men.”

“But last night it was me; tomorrow it’ll be the shadow wolf. You won’t be able to move, and it’ll keep eating you. It loves playing with human entrails. Trust me, I can keep you locked here forever if I feel like it.”

“Bullshit… If killed by the shadow wolf, the mission would fail… Once failed… I can leave…”

Jack burst into laughter.

“Idiot, the mission requires you to survive for fourteen days. Just yesterday, I killed you five or six times. If you could leave, you would’ve by now.”

Knowing more than his adversary seemed to bring him particular joy. “It seems you good folks don’t know. Nowadays, instances have errors—only we know where those errors are hidden.”

The young man didn’t reply.

After waiting for a while and realizing the man’s breathing had stopped, Jack saw the man’s body frozen in pain, his eyes murky and dim.

He was dead.

“Tch, committing suicide after just one day? Boring.” Jack kicked the body. “I wanted to bet on how long it’d take for you to go mad.”

He stepped over the corpse and approached the door. As it closed, the pale body disappeared into the shadows.

Not far away, a massive shadow wolf was half-sitting on the ground, its eyes burning like red coals. It tilted its head, looking at Jack with confusion, seemingly not understanding what kind of creature he was.

“Move along. Don’t stare at your grandpa.” Jack whistled at it. “It’s hunting time, dumb dog.”

The shadow wolf stared at him for a moment longer, then turned and ran swiftly into the night.

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